Portland cement is a common type of cement in general usage in many parts of the world, as it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, grout, etc. Concrete is a composite material consisting of aggregate (i.e., gravel and sand), cement, and water. As a construction material, concrete may be cast in almost any shape desired, and once hardened, may become a structural load bearing element.
Once the concrete has hardened, the concrete may be cut, grinded, or altered in any other way. A liquid, such as water, may be applied to the hardened concrete during the cutting, grinding, or alteration process. The liquid may lubricate the hardened concrete and control the dust that is created as a result from the cutting, grinding, or alteration of the concrete. The addition of the liquid (such as water) to the concrete results in a Portland cement concrete (PCC) aqueous material. This aqueous material may be referred to as slurry.
The resulting slurry may have a high pH level due to the liquid (such as water) being reintroduced to the concrete during a cutting, grinding, or alteration process. For example, when water is reintroduced to concrete during a cutting process, unhydrated lime content in the concrete attempts to reset as it did when the concrete was originally formed.
Difficulties in removing water from the slurry are encountered once the slurry is allowed to settle. Upon settling, the slurry tends to compact together, forming a substantially impermeable layer. While the lowest layer of slurry has a relatively low liquid content, successive layers of the slurry disposed upwardly have relatively high water content.
The problem of dewatering slurry trapped above a compacted layer of slurry increases dramatically whenever this layer is formed from a relatively homogeneous suspension which has a high percentage of gravel and sand. In such a situation, bonding between the slurry is inhibited, reducing the ability of the concrete to settle properly.
As such, benefits may be realized by providing a dewatering solution for an aqueous material, such as slurry. In particular, benefits may be realized by providing improved system and methods for extracting liquid from the aqueous material.